FORT COLLINS — If last weekend’s game at Air Force was the ultimate test for Colorado State’s run defense and defensive line, the Rams’ secondary gets its turn to be tested Saturday.

The task facing CSU defensive backs (in conjunction with a good pass rush) is simple: Stop the Fresno State aerial attack, one of the most potent in the nation and, to this point in the season, the best passing game the Rams have faced.

It all starts with the quarterback, Derek Carr.

“This quarterback, he’s going to be a high-drafted NFL quarterback when it’s his time to come out,” said CSU coach Jim McElwain. “Their receiving corps, top to bottom, last week they had three guys over 100 yards and the other one had 80.”

Carr is the younger brother of New York Giants backup quarterback David Carr. Derek, a junior, comes into Hughes Stadium on fire. He threw for 536 yards and five touchdowns, going 42-of-56 in the Bulldogs’ 52-40 win over San Diego State last weekend. Carr had 579 yards of total offense, which set a school and Mountain West record. His 42 completions also set a conference record.

First-year Bulldogs coach Tim DeRuyter brought a high-tempo spread offense to Fresno State and knew he had a gem of a signal-caller. But with 1,599 yards, 14 touchdowns, 69.1 completion percentage and just three interceptions through five games, is DeRuyter surprised by Carr’s early season success?

“We had pretty high expectations when we first came in here,” DeRuyter said. “He’s an extremely driven young man. Exceptionally bright. He’s got his act together, so anything he does doesn’t surprise us. But it has been impressive in how quickly he’s assimilated the offense, how quickly he understands the evolution of it based on coverage. He’s got a very quick release, he can extend plays with his feet and he’s very accurate. So he’s really an ideal guy. … He’s kind of the prototype for what we’d like to use as our quarterback in this system.”

Around Carr are a number of dangerous options in wide receivers DaVante Adams, Isaiah Burse and Josh Harper. And that doesn’t even take into account the return of senior Rashad Evans, who was ruled ineligible by the NCAA to play for the first four games of the season. All he did was catch 10 passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns in his first game back.

Adams was another 100-yard receiver against the Aztecs, and the redshirt freshman has been off-the-charts sensational to start the season, leading the team with 36 catches for 437 yards and three touchdowns. Adams has been added to the national Biletnikoff Award watch list because of his hot start.

It means that not only does Colorado State’s secondary — missing a big cog in injured cornerback Momo Thomas — have to find a way to control matters, but because there are so many options for Fresno State, CSU players will be in one-on-one situations a lot.

“It’s going to be real competitive, especially for the secondary,” said CSU defensive back Shaq Bell. “The receivers get off the ball, catch the ball and can make you miss. We’re going to have to compete.”

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.

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